II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 900 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to educational 

organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 5, 2011 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. LAUTENBERG) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants 

to educational organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. HOLOCAUST EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 

4 Part D of title V of the Elementary and Secondary 

5 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7241 et seq.) is amend6 ed by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘Subpart 22—Holocaust Education Assistance 

2 Program 

3 ‘‘SEC. 5631. SHORT TITLE. 

4 ‘‘This subpart may be cited as the ‘Simon Wiesenthal 

5 Holocaust Education Assistance Act’. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 5632. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 ‘‘(1) The Holocaust was an historical event that 

9 resulted in the systemic, state-sponsored, mass mur10 ders by Nazi Germany of 6,000,000 Jews, along 

11 with millions of others, in the name of racial purity. 

12 ‘‘(2) Six States (California, Florida, Illinois, In13 diana, New Jersey, and New York) now mandate 

14 that the Holocaust be taught in the educational cur15 riculum, and 11 States (Alabama, Connecticut, 

16 Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Caro17 lina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, and 

18 West Virginia) recommend teaching the Holocaust 

19 but the funds necessary to carry out those rec20 ommendations may not be available. 

21 ‘‘(3) The Holocaust is a sensitive and difficult 

22 subject to teach effectively, and educators need ap23 propriate teaching tools and training to increase 

24 their knowledge of the Holocaust and enhance the 

25 educational experience. 


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1 ‘‘(b) STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of 

2 this subpart— 

3 ‘‘(1) to educate students in the United States 

4 so that they— 

5 ‘‘(A) may explore the lessons that the Hol6 ocaust provides for all people; and 

7 ‘‘(B) may be less susceptible to the false8 hood of Holocaust denial and to the destructive 

9 messages of hate that arise from Holocaust de10 nial; and 

11 ‘‘(2) to provide resources and support for edu12 cational programs that— 

13 ‘‘(A) portray accurate historical informa14 tion about the Holocaust; 

15 ‘‘(B) sensitize communities to the cir16 cumstances that gave rise to the Holocaust; 

17 ‘‘(C) convey the lessons that the Holocaust 

18 provides for all people; and 

19 ‘‘(D) develop curriculum guides and pro20 vide training to help teachers incorporate the 

21 study of the Holocaust and its lessons into 

22 mainstream disciplines. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 5633. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

2 ‘‘The Secretary is authorized to award grants to edu3 cational organizations to carry out proposed or existing 

4 Holocaust education programs. 

5 ‘‘SEC. 5634. APPLICATION. 

6 ‘‘The Secretary may award a grant under this sub7 part only to an educational organization that has sub8 mitted an application to the Secretary at such time, in 

9 such manner, and containing such information as the Sec10 retary may require. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 5635. USE OF GRANTS. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An educational organization re13 ceiving a grant under this subpart may use the grant only 

14 to carry out the Holocaust education program for which 

15 the grant was provided. 

16 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—An educational organization 

17 receiving a grant under this subpart shall comply with the 

18 following requirements: 

19 ‘‘(1) CONTINUATION OF ELIGIBILITY.—The 

20 educational organization shall, throughout the period 

21 that the educational organization receives and uses 

22 the grant, continue to be an educational organiza23 tion. 

24 ‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENTATION OF EXISTING

25 FUNDS.—The educational organization shall ensure 

26 that the grant is used to supplement, and not supVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:07 May 06, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S900.IS S900

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1 plant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be 

2 available to the educational organization to carry out 

3 the Holocaust education program for which the 

4 grant was provided. 

5 ‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS.—The Secretary may 

6 require additional terms and conditions in connection with 

7 the use of grants provided under this subpart as the Sec8 retary considers appropriate. 

9 ‘‘(d) COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENTS.—The Secretary 

10 should encourage educational organizations to work coop11 eratively with State educational agencies or local edu12 cational agencies in applying for and using grants under 

13 this subpart. 

14 ‘‘SEC. 5636. SELECTION CRITERIA. 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

16 grants under this subpart in accordance with competitive 

17 criteria to be established by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION WITH HOLOCAUST EDU19 CATORS.—In establishing the competitive criteria under 

20 subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with a number 

21 of prominent educators in the field of Holocaust edu22 cation, to be determined by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘SEC. 5637. REVIEW AND SANCTIONS. 

24 ‘‘(a) ANNUAL REVIEW.—The Secretary shall review 

25 at least annually each educational organization receiving 


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1 a grant under this subpart to determine the extent to 

2 which the educational organization has complied with the 

3 provisions of this subpart and any regulation issued under 

4 this subpart. 

5 ‘‘(b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—The Secretary 

6 may impose 1 or more sanctions, to be determined by the 

7 Secretary, on an educational organization for the failure 

8 of the educational organization to comply substantially 

9 with the provisions of this subpart or any regulation issued 

10 under this subpart. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 5638. ANNUAL REPORT. 

12 ‘‘Not later than February 1 of each year, the Sec13 retary shall submit to Congress a report describing the 

14 activities carried out under this subpart and containing 

15 any related information that the Secretary considers ap16 propriate. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 5639. DEFINITIONS. 

18 ‘‘In this subpart: 

19 ‘‘(1) EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION.—The term 

20 ‘educational organization’ means an entity— 

21 ‘‘(A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the 

22 Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

23 ‘‘(B) exempt from tax under section 

24 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(C) organized and operated for cultural, 

2 literary, or educational purposes. 

3 ‘‘(2) HOLOCAUST EDUCATION PROGRAM.—The 

4 term ‘Holocaust education program’ means a pro5 gram that— 

6 ‘‘(A) has as its specific and primary pur7 pose to improve awareness and understanding 

8 of the Holocaust; and 

9 ‘‘(B) to achieve such purpose, furnishes 1 

10 or more of the following: 

11 ‘‘(i) Educational materials. 

12 ‘‘(ii) Student and school-based activi13 ties, including field trips. 

14 ‘‘(iii) Teacher training. 

15 ‘‘(iv) Any other good or service de16 signed to improve awareness and under17 standing of the Holocaust. 

18 ‘‘(3) HOLOCAUST.—The term ‘Holocaust’ 

19 means the systemic, state-sponsored, mass murders 

20 by Nazi Germany of 6,000,000 Jews, and millions of 

21 others, in the name of racial purity. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 5640. REGULATIONS. 

23 ‘‘The Secretary shall issue any regulations necessary 

24 to carry out this subpart. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 5641. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 ‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec3 retary for the first fiscal year beginning on or after the 

4 date of enactment of this subpart, and for each of the 4 

5 succeeding fiscal years, $2,000,000 for grants under this 

6 subpart. Amounts appropriated pursuant to this subpart 

7 shall remain available until expended.’’. 

8 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

9 The table of contents in section 2 of the Elementary 

10 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by add11 ing after the item relating to section 5618 the following: 

‘‘Subpart 22—Holocaust Education Assistance Program 

‘‘Sec. 5631. Short title. 

‘‘Sec. 5632. Findings and purposes. 

‘‘Sec. 5633. Program authorized. 

‘‘Sec. 5634. Application. 

‘‘Sec. 5635. Use of grants. 

‘‘Sec. 5636. Selection criteria. 

‘‘Sec. 5637. Review and sanctions. 

‘‘Sec. 5638. Annual report. 

‘‘Sec. 5639. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 5640. Regulations. 

‘‘Sec. 5641. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

Æ 


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